In
general, the main factors for developing business performance of an enterprise
have been said to be labors, products/service and money. While those three factors should be linked effectively
for stable growth of company’s business, I want to indicate which factor among
them is the most important for an entrepreneur. If one man considers starting a new company, he might ponder the type of
product or service at first because if there is no idea on provision of product
or service, there is no meaning for him to establish a company. How about the second? That should be money or fund to sustain the
company’s cash-flow as well as to investment in equipment or facilities which derives from his own deposit and bank
loan. The last factor is labor. The entrepreneur will calculate to employ how
many employees are necessary for his company after conducting his business
scheme on product or service and securing needed fund (while bigger company
should think about the number of employees and finance in parallel.). As a result, the priority for new business is
selection of product or service, guaranty of fund or money deposit and gathering
of workers in order. From the view point
of country regime, this order is achieved in a capitalistic society. On the contrary, the socialistic society emphasizes
the security of labor at first, and the next is product or service, the last
one, finance. As we recognize, such socialistic order was totally collapsed in the former
Soviet Union. However, when we
look at the current economic movement of many countries, economically advanced countries
are taking socialistic economic measures to secure the minimum living status of
labors more or less. Some legislators say
those measures belong to emergent financial rescue package since the Lehman
Shock last year. But if so, does the rescue
measure continue? Or, will it end at
certain moment? Now, many people notice
last-year’s financial crisis over the world revealed the limitation of infinite
capitalistic economic system. Because of that, have the U.S. and most European countries taken socialistic
financial measures for ordinary workers? On the other hand, we should note that ex-socialistic countries like China
and India have been rapidly changing to capitalistic society. In that situation, Western countries strongly
seek for financial wealth in trade with such countries. It is very curious to see contradiction that
an inherent capitalistic country fell in taking socialistic policy for the
people needs to reconcile with a traditionally socialistic country who is
seeking for capitalistic advantages without caring poor people. So, is this structure an infusion between the
two different regimes, or does it imply emergence of a new value concept in our
society? (Takashi Higashi, President, TCS)
Key articles on Japanese industry scenes selected by TCS
Headlines of the articles:
| COMMUNICATIONS |
|
| ELECTRONICS |
Large Production Increase on Thin Lithium-Ion Battery in Effective Process Line |
|
Noise Preventing Earphone for Children to Keep their Audibility |
|
|
Three-Wheel Motorbike driven by Lithium Ion Battery for Elderly and Entertainment |
|
| ENERGY |
Remarkable 10% Light Conversion Rate on Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell |
|
Newly Solar Panel Assembly Factory to Double Production Ability |
|
|
Forest Wood Cuttings to Apply for Coal-Thermal Power Plant for Environmental Purpose |
|
| ENVIRONMENT | Biodegradable and Ultra-Thin Cover Sheet to Control Crops’ Growth |
| MEDICINE |
Endoscope Robot by Own Drive Reduces Suffering of Intestine Disease Patients |
|
Super-Thin Band-Aid Appears with Firm Quality on Human Skin |
COMMUNICATIONS
Book Recording Terminal
Device through High-Speed Wireless to Appear
August 26--Sony announced that it will strengthen electronic book business
in the U.S. The company will sell a new terminal device
which can record book data via free-charge high-speed wireless communication as
well as provides contents of books, newspapers and magazines.
ELECTRONICS
Large Production Increase on Thin Lithium-Ion Battery in Effective Process
Line
August 26--NEC
TOKIN enhances production ability of thin lithium-ion battery about 50 times
the existing level. The company will construct
a mass produce line of positive and negative electrodes which are main
components of the battery in Sagamihara Factory. The increase of production ability is based
on the speed-up of products’ flow and automated processing.
Noise Preventing Earphone for
Children to Keep their Audibility
July 13--Logicool
announced that the company will sell a noise-restraint earphone for children
concern. To prevent decrease of children’s audibility and their auditory
disturbance, the earphone is installed function to automatically reduce noise
of mobile music players. The price is
open-market base and the company’s web site sells the product at about 50US
dollar.
Three-Wheel Motorbike driven
by Lithium Ion Battery for Elderly and Entertainment
July 8--GS
Yuasa will participate into the electric motorcycle market. The company has developed a three-wheel bike
installed with lithium ion battery. The
maximum speed is about 20km per hour useful for aged people and visitors at
sightseeing spots. The company plans to
sell the bike around the spring of 2010.
ENERGY
Remarkable 10% Light Conversion
Rate on Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell
August
24--Tokyo University of Science attained light conversion rate of 10% on a dye-sensitized
solar cell whose size is 10cm2. The study team layered titanium
oxide particles, whose diameter is 20nanometer, onto cell’s electrode. Also, they mingled larger particles for
absorbing light easily as well as devised metal electrode’s size for reducing
current loss.
Newly Solar Panel Assembly
Factory to Double Production Ability
August 7--Sanyo Electric plans to construct a new assembly factory of solar-cell
panels in Shiga Prefecture to raise its production ability up to 200,000KW
per year for July 2011 twice the current production ability. This plan is in line with
increasing domestic demand at the recovery of government’s subsidy.
Forest Wood Cuttings to Apply for Coal-Thermal Power Plant for Environmental
Purpose
July
25--J-Power will engage in the biomass power generation business on which thinned forest wood are combined with coal for
combustion at the company’s coal- thermal power plant which is located in
Nagasaki Prefecture. J-Power expects
business effects on CO2 reduction and forests maintenance. The project is anticipated to start in 2010.
ENVIRONMENT
Biodegradable and Ultra-Thin Cover Sheet to Control Crops’ Growth
August
28--MVK Dream developed a biodegradable cover sheet for raising agricultural
crops whose price is one-second that of existing sheets. The developed sheet is used for water
protection and temperature adjustment on cultivated lands. The company improved the product’s quality by
using a succinic-acid base biodegradable plastic and realizing sheet thickness
at 20micrometer.
MEDICINE
Endoscope Robot by Own Drive
Reduces Suffering of Intestine Disease Patients
July 10--Waseda University and Kyushu University co-developed an endoscope
robot that can run inside the large intestine by its own driving force. The two universities confirmed the robot goes
for run in a pig’s colon by itself. The
new device can reduce physical burden of patients who suffer intestine disease.
The above parties also plan to add
functions of camera installation and disease cell grasping onto the robot.
Super-Thin Band-Aid Appears with Firm Quality on Human Skin
July 7--Waseda University announced that it has invented the world’s thinnest
band-aid whose thickness is one-100,000th those of existing band-aids. The transparent non-color band-aid’s thickness
is 75nanometer made of the layer of chitosan and alginate one after the
other. There is no problem on the
product’s strength due to electrostatic action.
* * *
(Source: Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Nikkei Sangyo Shimbun)
* * *
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